Ahead of Eagles-Chiefs, a look back at regular season Super Bowl rematches

On Monday night, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will meet in the most anticipated game of the 2023 NFL season, a rematch of Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles have an NFL-best 8-1 record while the Chiefs lead the AFC at 7-2. Philadelphia is out for revenge after losing 38-35 to Kansas City last February.

This will be the ninth regular-season Super Bowl rematch in NFL history. Let’s take a look back at the previous eight to see if the sequel lived up to the original:

September 20, 1970: Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings

In the first season following the NFL-AFL merger, it made perfect sense to stage a rematch of Super Bowl IV in Week 1. Despite being 12-point underdogs in the fourth edition of the big game, the Chiefs shocked the Vikings with a 23-7 win. Although it was only a small consolation, Minnesota exacted revenge the following September with a 27-10 victory.

December 11, 1977: Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders

The Vikings completed an 0-for-4 Super Bowl string by losing to the Raiders 32-14 in Super Bowl XI. Not much changed when these two met again the next December in Oakland. Hall of Famer Ken Stabler threw three touchdown passes – two to fellow Canton enshrinee Cliff Branch – and the Raiders cruised to a 35-13 win.

October 28, 1979: Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers

There was plenty of anticipation for this rematch after the Steelers beat the Cowboys 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII, the highest-scoring Super Bowl at the time. There was barely any offense to speak of the following October, however. Two rushing touchdowns from Hall of Famer Franco Harris were all Pittsburgh needed in a 14-3 win over Dallas.

September 12, 1993: Buffalo Bills at Dallas Cowboys

In Super Bowl XXVII, the Bills suffered one of the most lopsided defeats in the history of the big game, 52-17. The next September, Buffalo eked out a 13-10 win at Dallas in the rematch. This was thanks in large part to the absence of Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, who was in a contract dispute. Smith would be back in time to lead the Cowboys to yet another blowout of the Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII, 30-13.

October 27, 1997: Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots

Prior to 2023, this was the only time a Super Bowl rematch was staged on “Monday Night Football.” After beating the Patriots 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI, the Packers socked it to New England yet again the next October, 28-10. Hall of Famer Brett Favre led the way with three touchdown passes.

September 21, 2014: Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks

The Broncos had a low bar to clear in the rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII: don’t lose 43-8 again. Denver kept it much closer this time, overcoming a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, however, Marshawn Lynch scored his second touchdown of the game on a six-yard run to give the Seahawks a 26-20 win.

September 8, 2016: Carolina Panthers at Denver Broncos

The NFL began playing the Thursday Kickoff Game in 2002, and this was the only time to date that it featured a Super Bowl rematch. The Broncos beat the Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, but Hall of Famer Peyton Manning retired following that game. Denver’s offense was now in the hands of rookie quarterback Trevor Siemian. Surprisingly, he led the Broncos out of a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, engineering a 21-20 comeback win.

October 22, 2017: Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots

In the rematch of Super Bowl LI, the Falcons didn’t have to worry about another 28-3 disaster. You can’t blow a lead if you never have a lead. In fact, it took Atlanta 56 minutes to even get on the board in this rematch. New England’s defense suffocated the Falcons and Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in a 23-7 victory.

The final tally shows that Super Bowl winners are 6-2 in regular season rematches. Only the 1970 Vikings and 1993 Bills were able to claim revenge. On the surface, this doesn’t bode well for Philadelphia ahead of Monday night’s game, but anything can happen. Speaking of surfaces, anything is an improvement over last year’s field for the Super Bowl in Arizona. Not having to play on a Slip ‘N Slide is an automatic win for the Eagles.